a series of kolvina one shots
by Yorkes
Summary: a collection of one shots, each one a new plot and sometimes a new universe (originally posted on my tumblr @meaghanraths).
1. a new years kiss

The Mikaelson family knew how to throw a party, that much was clear to the entirety of New Orleans. What was unclear to the small group of people aware of certain events leading up to the New Year was if the latest party was a celebration for the upcoming year or something else entirely. The situation a family matriarch had been put in days prior was a cause for celebration in many minds, but the invitation announced the party had more topical purposes.

"I don't see why you of all people want to go to Klaus' New Years Eve party," Josh told Davina as he glanced at the invite lying on her dresser.

"Our other options were to sneak into a club or go to a high school party with people who would ask where I've been for the past few weeks," she replied, shooting him a smile.

"And compulsion and magic couldn't have snuck us into the club?" he asked, with a laugh. "Or a fake ID for that matter," he added as he grabbed his coat.

"Well you won't be complaining once you meet up with your cute plus one," she reminded, slipping on her heels. Maybe a party where she'd be on her feet for hours wasn't the ideal place to test out heels higher than she was used to, but they could come in handy.

That comment made Josh grin, but he was quick to say something. "I won't abandon you though," he hastily said, "promise."

Davina started towards the door, but she simply gave him a shrug. "I'm sure I'll be fine," she told him, "I mean Cami and Marcel will be there… and other people." He gave her a wary look, which she knew she earned. Adding 'other people' wasn't exactly necessary.

"As long as those other people are people that Marcel won't kill for being with at you at midnight, I approve," he said, although the tone of his voice didn't really imply approval.

So she just gave him another smile and they made their way to The Abattoir.

* * *

><p>"Have you seen Camille?" Davina asked Hayley, who was hanging out by the outskirts of the party. The witch hadn't spoken many words to the hybrid in a while, but from what she had heard from Marcel things were happening with her pack and the the man she'd been engaged to since birth.<p>

"Sorry, can't say I have," she told her, taking a slow sip of her drink. "I think she was talking to Marcel like thirty minutes ago," she offered, and Davina gave her a tight smile, but didn't move from her spot beside her. "Where's your vampire friend?" she asked, "Josh?"

"With a werewolf friend," she replied, with a more genuine smile, looking into the crowd.

"I should go find Elijah," Hayley told her, and passed her the drink her hands. "Tell me if find whoever it is you're looking for," she told Davina with a something that might have been a smirk. Davina had never spent enough time around her to be quite sure.

So Davina stood with Hayley's empty champagne glass in her hands as she took in the party around her. Out of the corner of the eye she thought she could see Aiden and Josh talking, and that made her think coming to Klaus' party was worth it, but she was still waiting for the the real reason she had convinced Josh they should come.

"Don't tell me you drank all that champagne, Davina Claire?" she heard behind her and instantly a smile was plastered onto her mouth. "I was hoping that you might remember a night with me," Kol Mikaelson told her, and she laughed, turning around so she could face him.

"Actually it's Hayley's, she just gave it to me when she went off to talk to Elijah," she told him, setting it down on some sort of makeshift table to her side. She looked up at him, "and I thought you weren't going to show, so I figured why not look so I at least had something to do."

"And miss spending-" he glanced up the large clock, "-the last hour of the year with you?" He would've kissed her right then and there but the crowd was large and though he was sure Marcel was away planning with Klaus he didn't want any of his men to see him with Davina, because that could only mean trouble for both of them. "And you're considering drinking something to do? Perhaps you have been spending too much time around Mikaelsons," he added, giving one last glance toward the empty glass.

It had been a few weeks since Kol and Davina first kissed and there had been a grey area directly following it. The time following the grey area evolved into more of a mutual understanding for them. Maybe they wouldn't label it about dating, the word boyfriend felt weird and girlfriend too foreign to comprehend, and neither of them needed those labels anyway. What they found themselves in was a relationship that they both acknowledged.

"Would it be entirely forward of me to ask if you would like to go somewhere quiet?" he asked, with a smile that would be better described as a grin.

"Well I would say yes, but I'm afraid that there aren't many quiet places to go," she told him, looking over her shoulder at the party around them. "Though I think for our situation we could just find a place that's secluded yet loud," she offered and the tilt of his head was enough of an answer for her. So she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the passageways that connected the courtyard in The Abattoir.

The relationship the harvest witch and the original vampire resurrected as witch had developed was something they realized was best kept under wraps. This was why their public displays of affection weren't even public. They weren't exactly sure what the general reactions to an actual relationship between the two would be, but the only one Davina was worried about was Marcel's. She suspected past his quips that he was worried about him as well.

Relationships never end well in New Orleans though, Davina learned that the hard way. Perhaps it wasn't the people finding out that worried them. The idea of the city itself being aware was hard to accept.

It's always easier in a world of two. A coven of two.

Fifty-eight minutes later, and only minutes until midnight, Kol decided their little nook was covert enough for them to kiss. Davina intervened though, and it isn't hard considering her height, she just had to rest her head against his chest. In truth, with their difference in heights, it takes an awful lot of effort to kiss.

"Hey, we only have a few minutes until the New Year, I think you can wait until then," she teased, looking up at him and shooting him a smile. He paused, and looked as though he were about to protest, but she just brightened her smile.

Kol is working on a theory that Davina Claire's smile could bring a man to his kneels or make an army surrender.

"I did want to let you know I appreciate that you wore some heels, love," he said, "I think they'll be helping me out in a few moments."

"Will they?" she asked as she glanced at the small sliver of the clock that their nook allowed, and they were nearing the minute mark. The countdown began when the sixty second mark was hit and while the crowd outside shouted out the numbers Kol and Davina whispered sixty down to zero.

"_Five, four, three, two, one…"_

"Happy New Years, Davina Claire," he whispered into her ear. Davina just kissed him, and there are no eloquent words to say how she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull his lips to hers. She can however attest that the heels did help in boosting her up a few inches.

The kiss kept going, and maybe it would've kept going. Perhaps to make up for the time he wanted to kiss her in the courtyard, to make up for when she wanted to kiss him on the way to the nook, and when he wanted to but there was too little time until the New Year's kiss.

It did end though, but not by their own terms.

"Oh, Marcel I think I found her!" a voice, sounding incredibly like Camille's, said. It was then followed by a then by a more drawn out 'oh', which was probably made when Davina pulled herself away from Kol and Camille realized there was a Kol in the equation.

"Happy New Year!" she squeaked out, seeing both Camille and Marcel appear before her. It flicked through her mind that her body was pressed against Kol due to the small space, and Marcel looked ready to murder, but when she looked back at Kol and saw him smiling down at her.

She was sure there was a saying out there that said the way the spend the first few moments of the new year could predict the outcome of your year. She was pretty sure an honest smile from Kol Mikaelson meant she would be just fine.


	2. how the world ends

**a/n - K****eep in mind each chapter is a new one shot, and none have any connection the next (unless otherwise stated). So this is a zombie apocalypse au, so this totally is unrelated to the new years kiss one before it. Only things you should be aware of before going in are that Kol and Davina are human in this, also Kol is his lovely Nate Buzolic self. **

Time is one of the only things that Davina Claire has left once the virus swept through the world. So she kept track of time after the power went out, and after her batteries were drained. It was because of her wonderful time keeping skills that she knew exactly how many days it was since the beginning of it all when she ran out of canned sweet potatoes and was left with two meager cans of corn.

It had been 243 days since, in the blink of an eye, a tropical flu turned into something out a horror film. Thanks to the proximity of Tulane University's School of Tropical Medicine the city of New Orleans was one of the first to be hit with the mutated version of the virus, which was the one that no one saw coming.

A zombie apocalypse isn't exactly something you see coming, well, maybe unless you're one of those doomsday prepper types.

But where is reminiscing about the beginning of the end going to get you when you're running out of food. This is the exact thought that ran through Davina's mind as she set down the can of sweet potatoes she had just eaten. It also reminded her that it had been nineteen days since her friend Marcel had left for a scavenging trip. At day fifteen, when optimism was getting hard to keep up, Davina told herself that after twenty days she would try to go on a scavenging trip of her own.

If she was being honest with herself she wasn't sure where to begin with fighting off zombies. The first few weeks of the outbreak has been a daze. Her mother and her spent the first few days locked in their neighbor's home watching the national news and waiting for the first horde to hit their street. Then one day they had gone into their own house to get flashlights because the news had warned against power outages, and that's when they faced their first zombies. Well Davina faced them, her mother ran out the door with the two flashlights never to be seen again.

Davina also ran, but in her defense she tried throwing a kitchen knife at one of them first.

Then she kept running, from convenience store to friend's house until somewhere along the line she met Marcel. In the beginning there was civility but once all power and technology goes something changes. That's why when she met Marcel, or rather when she was saved by Marcel, she was confused as why he would help her live.

But almost seven months later she was sitting in the attic of St. Anne's Church, and she was happy she took the risk and followed Marcel back to his hideout. It was also seven months later and she was close to having to venture back out again because his fate was uncertain.

There were no clocks in the attic, maybe that was something she would want to find, but with a look out the window she guessed it was six or seven o'clock. Just a little longer until day twenty.

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure whether she should take the handgun or the knife, or she took both. She had a backpack that in a kinder life would've been used for camping, and she had filled it the basics, but that had just been food and water. If Davina could choose she wouldn't want to get close to anyone infected, that's why she grabbed the gun. Her insecurities in her ability to shoot a gun and her fear of close calls were what drove her to get the knife as well.<p>

She hoped she wouldn't have to use either of them all that often, but she grabbed some extra bullets just in case.

Then she finally walked out of attic, and then out of the church.

When the sunlight first hit her it felt surreal. She couldn't see any infected so she took just a moment to enjoy the feeling of sun, not just through glass in her attic. She got the real thing for once.

Then the sun felt a little too warm on her cheeks and she moved closer to the side of the building. Hiding in plain sight felt a little too advanced of a concept for people who had turned into zombies, so she tried to keep a high alert. She wasn't sure what the infected had going on inside of their heads, but they had a survival instinct at least.

She dug the knife out of her backpack when she heard a noise to her left. It wasn't much, maybe just a rustle in the wind, but it was enough to put her further on edge. So she walked in the shadows with a knife in her hand for a few more blocks until she saw a convenience store that looked promising enough. Maybe she could find a pack of peanuts if she was lucky enough.

At first the door didn't budge, which Davina almost took as a sign that that it was infested with zombies, but with a little effort she was able to get in. Once she got in she saw someone had tried to jam the door with a chair. Yet she also saw they didn't really try all that hard considering how easily she had gotten in.

One look at the flash told her it a lost cause. Another look also told her there weren't any zombies. It was a nice little hole in the wall to figure out what to do next, but there was the issue of who put the chair in front of the door. Davina was pretty sure that a backdoors is necessary under the a building code of some sort, so she was pretty certain she was alone in her ransacked store, but never hurts to be certain.

"I have a knife," she decided to say, on the off chance. She was surprised her voice didn't crack, she hadn't spoken much in the past few days. The few times she began to talk to herself she stopped and told herself that thinking to herself was a much more sane idea. There was a beat of a silence before she was about to add that she also had a gun, but then there was a rustle that could not be mistaken for wind by even a zombie.

"I do hope you aren't looking for food, because I am afraid this shop's all out," a voice said, revealing itself to be a boy unaffected by the virus. She tightened her grip on the knife and raised it up a little, to make sure that he knew she wasn't lying. Although, maybe boy wasn't the right word to describe him, he could've been twenty. In a zombie apocalypse a human is a human though.

"Well I was hoping, but not too hard once I saw the inside of the store," she admitted, glancing at the empty shelves and a slushie machine smashed onto the floor. He made a move towards her, she thrust her knife out.

"I see that, you know" he said with a small laugh, which she did not appreciate. He did step back though, so at least she got the point across. "And if you wanted to scare someone twice your size you might want to have a better grip on that knife," he informed her, and Davina looked down at her apparently bad form.

"How would I get a better grip?" she asked, not trying to keep the edge from her voice.

"Move your hand up the hilt, you'll have better control," he answered. She tried it, and it did admittingly give her a better grasp.

"You're okay giving away tricks to someone you don't even know?" she asked, lowering the knife to her side.

"Well the name's Kol, and how to hold a knife is common knowledge, love," he informed, and he gestured to his own backpack, maybe used for hiking in a kinder life, "and I can defend myself."

"I have a gun too," she added, with the mentality of better late than never.

"Is it incredibly rude of me to ask how you've survived in New Orleans for the past eight months?" he asked in an incredibly rude tone.

"I was in an attic, it was the height of the luxury," she said, and the teasing tone was easy to see through. Her eyes skimmed the room for any sign of nonperishables. Maybe there was a twinkie box left. "Now I'm out of the attic, and I'm scavenging," she said in a very headstrong way.

"I think you came to the wrong place for that," he told her, eyes watching her with an inquisitive look. "If you're looking for food though, you can't really go to places that are obvious," he continued, "people will already gone in places like this."

"Well, you're still giving away tricks to someone you don't know," she informed him, with a wary look, "even if I know your name."

"You could change that," he told her, and she raised a brow, "all I need is name."

"Davina," she said.

"Quite a name."

* * *

><p>Davina didn't realize how out of shape she was, but after just four days of being thrust out into the real world the truth was becoming painfully apparent.<p>

"Why are zombies so fast?" she asked Kol after she caught her breath. At that point the knife had not been used, but the gun had. It was a handy thing, and she was pretty good with it. Kol gave her a quick lesson, and though she hadn't asked yet how he had gotten so fluent in the language of the zombie apocalypse she did admit it did help.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Davina Claire?" he replied with a smirk, and she gave him a glare accompanied with a tight lipped smile. After running from a small horde they had found an abandoned apartment to duck in for the moment.

"So do we just keep running around?" she asked him, reaching for her water bottle. "I mean is there an endgame to this, or is it really just the apocalypse of zombies?"

"And you expect me to know the answer?" he asked her response, getting up from his seat on the ratty couch to look around the kitchen.

"Well I've been in an attic, I expect you've at least gotten heard other point of views on the matter," she said, watching as he rummaged through the cupboards, which appeared to be filled with empty bowls. "Is there talk of a cure? Or anything more than lose or hope?" she questioned.

"You were the first human I had seen in two weeks," he said, looking back at her "that could mean a lot of things, but not many of them good." Davina nodded, and her gaze drifted over to the picture frames next to the couch she had sat down on. Convenience stores may have been overused, but being in someone's abandoned home was simply depressing. A true sign of civility lost.

The whole situation was just odd, if Davina was being entirely honest. One moment she was questioning Kol on why he was in such a barren place in the first place, and the next he was offering to show her where to find some real food. Davina had no reason to trust him, no reason not to. Yet she exited the little convenience store with him, and he took her to a string of random places that filled up half of her backpack.

Davina told herself that after she got enough supplies that she would go back to her attic, but she wasn't so certain anymore.

* * *

><p>"I've hit the jackpot, cheerios and guess what the sell by date is?" Kol asked.<p>

She just looked at him with a smile and shrugged.

"Last week," he said, showing her the box for proof.

"I think this is a miracle," she told him. She grabbed for the box but he promptly pulled it away which resulted in a pout that Davina reserved for very little occasions, and had not used in a very long time. He tsked and returned her pout with a grin.

"I'm positive this place has bowls somewhere," he declared, looking around a little hotel, really more of a bed and breakfast, they had wandered into.

"We _are_ in a kitchen," she reminded him, gesturing to the remaining cutlery surrounding them. Though she was aware that despite this the items weren't in the nicest condition. He was fumbling around the cabinets looking for something usable.

Davina was about to get up from her seat to help in the quest for dishware but at that moment Kol placed two paper bowls down on the table along with the Cheerios box.

"Well, we'll have to eat with our hands like savages but there is no milk so I think all will be fine," he assured her.

"I think that's the least of our problems," she reminded him, as if the state of the kitchen wasn't reminder enough of the state of the world. This time when she reached for the cheerios it was allowed, and she poured just enough to be indulgent but did have some restraint. "Good eye with the sell by date, by the way," she told him, nibbling on the cheerios.

"Good eye with that shot the other day," he remarked, and she wasn't sure how to reply. She had gotten used to the everyday life of outrunning the infected and finding food that hadn't spoiled, but killing was still an uneasy subject.

"You know, these cheerios aren't nearly as good as I remembered," she admitted to him with an uneasy that was due more to the previous subject.

"You told me you loved cheerios two weeks ago, Davina Claire" he teased, though somewhat accusingly.

"More than canned tomatoes," she explained. He continued in giving her his accusatory look. "Though two weeks ago I thought they were as good as I remembered," she told him, and this did prompt him stopping is look. "So basically we just stumbled upon a food I happen to love, and it's thanks to you," she told him, "so thank you."

"I think we should take these cheerios as a sign then," he told her and Davina gave him a confused look.

"A sign?" Davina asked.

"Indeed, you see, you once asked me if we were just going to keep running around, and we're taking the cheerios as a sign to stop and savor the moment," he explained, and before she could ask what exactly he meant he took action.

That was the moment that Kol Mikaelson kissed Davina Claire.


	3. soulmates (part one of two)

**part one** of two

It was always Esther's favorite story to tell her children.

"It all started with a witch," she would say, and that much never changed. "She wasn't a particularly strong one, but she had a passion for witchcraft. She fell in love with a man who her parents deemed unworthy of her affections, and she was forbidden to marry him. This was after her protests that they were meant to be."

At this point Rebekah, a young girl, would have propped her chin on her hands, watching as her mother continued to tell her tale.

"Her parents arranged for her to marry someone more noble, and she could do nothing about it," she went on, smiling at her daughter's furrowed brows and frown. The young girl was a hopeless romantic at the age of seven, and she disliked anything getting getting in the way of true romance. "And though she found her partner agreeable she never felt that connection she had felt with her first, and who believed to be her true, love ever again," Esther lamented.

"And then what happens?" Rebekah would ask, her eyes bright.

"You've heard this story a hundred times, Rebekah," one of Esther's sons was sure to whine, though it was usually Kol. His views on the matters of the heart were hardly set, but he couldn't bear listening to the same story over and over.

"It's more than a story, Kol," her mother would be prompt to remind him, silencing her son for the moment. Often his response was flopping back on his bed, knowing it was too late to outside, and pretend to sleep. He couldn't help but listen to the story though, because he mother had taught him it as history rather than myth.

"Now where was I darling?" She would ask Rebekah.

"She's about to have her daughter!"

Esther would recollect her thoughts and then go on with the story. "So the witch has been married to the man whom her parents arranged her with for about a year when they have their firstborn, a baby girl. Her husband had wanted a son, and saw their daughter as little more than a bargaining chip for the future. Fearing her daughter would be subject to a similar fate as her own she cast a spell. She placed a unique mark on her daughter that would appear on her soulmate, her true love, so her daughter's true feeling could never be invalidated. What she didn't know what that she had messed up the spell, and her mishap changed the witches forever. Any child with the blood of a witch coursing through their veins was given a special mark, and some humans were surprised to find they had been marked as well."

Rebekah would look down at the intricate design on her wrist, and traced the lines with her finger. She wondered if mark's match was a witch too or merely a human.

"Eventually the origin of the marks was revealed, after a few short years of children being born with a mark on each of their bodies," their mother would explain. "And so, with that realization, the soulmate marks were accepted, and helped many couples in finding each other and staying together," she finished, giving Rebekah a soft smile.

After her first explanation of the soulmate marks, Rebekah had many questions. She eventually got to the point where she had asked about everything she wanted to know. That was until one day when out of the blue Rebekah had a question again.

"How did you and father find out you shared a mark?" She once asked, which made Esther take a long pause. She said little on the matter, but her children would come to understand exactly what she meant.

"The marks are a way of telling fate, but you can't expect fate to do everyone on its own," she hesitantly replied, "knowing who you're meant to be with is only half the battle. Unfortunately the universe likes to take it's time."

•••

As vampires the Mikaelson children kept their marks. Rebekah once mused that perhaps destiny and fate were intertwined, because their marks had yet to find their matches as mortals.

It wasn't until Finn met Sage had the sibling realized some of them hadn't outlived their soulmates with their immortality. They were all powerful vampires though just getting used to what the world immortal really meant. At that point love was a distant thought for half of the family.

It wasn't until the 15th century that an original would meet their match once more, but due to their marks being tucked behind their ears it wasn't clear to Elijah that Katerina Petrova was his soulmate for years to come. Looking back he should have known, recognized the feeling when he felt laid his eyes on her, but there's little help on dwelling on the past.

Rebekah, the one who had always wanted the happily ever after, was taken aback when she discovered who the fates wanted her be with. Years before she had become convinced she had found the man she was destined to be with, only to realize that while fate didn't always follow through, you can't escape it when it wants to find you.

It was the roaring twenties and in Chicago the Mikaelson's had run into Stefan Salvatore, who was at the time known as The Ripper. Rebekah didn't know at the time that the man who shared her mark would turn out to a man she would be happy to spend her days with, but she had yet to tell him the story behind their matching design.

Klaus had even found his match, in the 21st century. No one expected his mark to have a pair after they figured out the werewolf gene was also a part of his genetics. So it was a surprise to everyone, especially Klaus, when he met Caroline Forbes and discovered the outline of a triangle on her back. He hadn't told her of the connection yet, and he doubted she would believe him. He decided he would wait until she was ready to hear the news.

In all their thousand years Kol was the one left alone, with a mark shaped vaguely like star on the back of his neck. He didn't mind it though, when he wasn't daggered he was traveling the globe feasting or trying to make nice with his family, though usually that only lead to him be daggered again.

He was usually able to ignore the reality that there was something out there for him. They could be dead for all he knew, and he would've missed his opportunity. If anyone, in particular Rebekah pestered him about the subject, he probably due to his brother keeping him from away from the world for such expanses of time.

"So how are you liking modern day New Orleans, brother?" Elijah asked Kol. He had torn himself aways from his travels to visit his family who had recently moved back to a city they used to call home.

"Still has the same charm," the younger brother replied. He had two stints in the city, both ending abruptly in a dagger. He hoped the time would be the charm, the charm being able to coexist with his brother without getting put into a coma for a few days.

Kol had left his family in Mystic Falls after a close call with Elena and Jeremy Gilbert. The oak stake had nearly pierced his heart when he was able to get away, but the idea of actual death lead Kol to travel far away from Virginia.

It wasn't until out of the blue he got a call from Elijah telling him to come down to see someone. He arrived in New Orleans to find that he was an uncle to a baby the world thought was thought, and that shouldn't have even been there in the first place. He had yet to meet the supposed bundle of joy, she was safely tucked away with Rebekah. but he couldn't be informed of the news over phone according to Klaus.

He should've left the city after he got the information, but he ended up lingering. The reason as to why he did was unbeknownst to his family as well as Kol himself. It just felt right at the time to take up temporary residence in The Abattoir.

•••

A more recent trend with Witches was to unmark their newborn children.

Over the centuries it became clear that knowing who you were destined to be with only caused trouble. In more outdated times it was okay, but with the changing ways of society waiting and hoping for one person was not as widely accepted. It also had a way of breaking up couples that were happy together, just because they weren't destined to be together from some outer source.

For a few people it worked out great, but knowing your fate is not something many people wanted. So since the early twentieth century there had been a movement for witches to abolish their children's soulmate marks. A large number of people wanted their children to choose their own partners, and they encouraged others to the same. It was a simple spell, but it had become so ingrained in their culture that people were hesitant to change a tradition.

Most members of The New Orleans Coven had taken to getting rid of their children's marks, but Davina Claire's parents had opted not to. Her parents hadn't had a very prosperous marriage, her father even left them shortly after she was born. Their hope was that by leaving her soulmate mark she could avoid a marriage like their own, which was unhappy and formed of two markless witches. Her mom was always a strong believer that magic anyway, which she proved when she was willing to sacrifice her daughter up in the Harvest.

She had a habit of keeping her hair down to cover the mark that was placed on the back of her neck, but when she was in the church attic she tried putting it up more often. It wasn't like anyone was going to see it and declare that they were her true love… true soulmate, she wasn't quite sure there was a connection between the two. But when she got out of the attic the habit of pulling up hair remained, even if it was only every once in a while.

"Did you get a tattoo?" Josh asked with surprise one day. They were hanging out at Marcel's place and Davina's hair was up in a loose bun, which meant her mark was fully visible. She whipped her head back around to face her friend. "Is it like a flame or something?" he asked her, and Davina shook her head.

"No," she said tersely, reaching up to brush her fingers against the spot. After apparent confusion on Josh's face she clarified. "I mean yes, it's a flame or something, but it's not a tattoo." In truth Davina always saw it as more of a star, just a curvy one, but she figured that being the Harvest witch of fire would make a flame fitting.

Josh gave her a look, one with a slightly raised brow, which he gave her to prompt a more extensive explanation.

"It's just a witch thing," she said, trying to wave away the topic.

She never had that strong of a belief in soulmates. She had been so convinced that Tim would have a star on the back of his neck too, but when she finally discovered that he was mark free she fought the idea of that she could have a soulmate. She was stubborn and her actions and denial had lead Tim to his death.

She tried to take the marks a lot more seriously after that. She decided to respect the fact that she couldn't just ignore it.

When she finally relented she kept the guilt over her first love's death out of her synopsis. She just told him the basic information behind the myth and that not everyone had them anymore. She could tell Josh wanted to ask about Tim, but she was happy he didn't.

"So should I keep an eye out for a person with a flame on the back of their necks?" he asked after a pause of silence.

Davina gave him a smile and shrugged. "I highly doubt he's going to be wandering around New Orleans."

"Such little faith in fate," her friend accused.

She simply shrugged. After The Harvest she was never sure exactly what to think.

•••

"Still lingering around town, Kol?" Marcel asked as the original in question poured himself a drink. Marcel was still no match for the youngest Mikaelson, but he was no longer a child being tormented by a psychopath. That and Klaus was in the room, and Kol had been on his best behavior over the past weeks.

Kol didn't reply, he just took a long sip of his drink. He didn't feel like bringing up old trifles. He had found that digging up graves was no way to live if you didn't want a stake in your heart, or in the worst case, a white oak stake.

Klaus looked up from his phone, ignoring the uncomfortable tension between his adoptive son and neither. "I'm going to need Davina's assistance in figuring out the root of a spell," he informed Marcel. He was currently on the track of making the city a safer place for Hope so she could come home. Most people were not aware that his recent actions had been motivated by his daughter, but they knew he was working on something important.

"She's not going to help you," he said simply, which was the truth, "not unless you give her motivation. But, knowing your methods, I'm just going to say she won't help you."

"What did you do to upset the poor girl, Klaus?" Kol inquired, trying to stay up to date on the never ending drama of The Big Easy. He had heard her name thrown around here and there but didn't know why she was so opposed to Klaus.

"He killed the boy she loved," Marcel said in a simple explanation. He then directed his attention to the hybrid in the house. "Why don't you just find another witch, Klaus?" he asked.

"I need a witch with real power to do it," he reasoned. "I had one try but it was no use." The look on Marcel's face made Klaus reconsider his persuasion technique. "No harm will come to the little witch, or to any of her friends," he promised Marcel, "whoever created spell obviously took precautions, and I just need someone with the capability to track them down."

"I'll see what I can do," he relented. Klaus looked desperate enough, and that might be enough for Davina to be willing to help him. Marcel knew she wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity to keeping proving to him she had the upper hand, but she would be helping someone she hated in the process.

Despite Marcel's doubts she arrived at The Abattoir forty minutes later, bag in hand filled with supplies for the spell. Klaus had wanted to the spell later that night but if Davina was going to help him it would be on her own terms. Five hours was that big of a difference, but it was enough to make her a little more willing.

She stood tall as she walked over to Klaus, seeing him for the first time in over a month. She gave Marcel a small smile, even if it was strained from his request. She didn't recognize the third person in the room, though she had an idea. Josh had mentioned that the youngest Mikaelson brother had made his way down to New Orleans, and the brunette who was sitting in the courtyard fit the bill.

"It should be simple spell," she said simply, diverting her eyes from the unexpected person in the room. He was staring at her without much shame, so she chose to ignore him. The only Mikaelson who had been fully decent to her was Rebekah, but she had left months before.

"I trust you have everyone you need," Klaus asked her, moving over to the table where Davina had dumped out her bag's contents.

"I just need something to trace back to them," she reminded, looking to him for that much. "The object with the spell preferably." She'd brought a map and the herbs need, but she was missing a key component.

"On the side table over there," the possible brother commented, but she wasn't quite sure where 'over there' was or what it was she was looking for.

"The rocks over _there_," Klaus clarified, motioning behind her.

She began to whip her head around to look when she heard the possible brother finally introduce himself.

"As my brother has failed to introduce me," she heard him start as she went to pick up the rocks. She'd have to hear the story behind the connection before she based her spell around them, but she felt the spell when she touched got near them. "I'm Kol Mikaelson, and you-" he suddenly stopped speaking, though she hadn't heard anyone cut him off.

She picked up the hesitantly rocks and turned back around to see three very different expressions.

Marcel looked pissed, Klaus looked amused, and Kol, well, she didn't know him well enough to place his expression. Though it looked like shock. He had just stood up from his seat, but he was frozen in place.

"Did I pick up the wrong rocks or something?" she asked, not being able to keep what Marcel fondly called her teenage attitude from making it's way into her voice.

"You didn't tell me you had a mark, D," Marcel said simply, and he sounded angry about it. She had always assumed he noticed it, and chose not to comment on Tim's lack of one out of sincerity, but realized he hadn't. Wearing her hair up really did to seem change things.

The rocks felt heavier in her hands than before. Marcel had a temper, but he wouldn't get that mad over something that little. It didn't affect him anyway. She followed where his view was directed and stiffened herself.

"I didn't think it was important," she muttered in defense, trying not to focus on Kol who was looking at her in a very different way than just moments before. She slowly made her way back to the table to put the rocks down. "Up until recently I didn't like to think it actually would work," she added, when it was clear no one else wanted to speak. After more silence she added a quick explanation, "You know with Tim and all."

"Who's Tim?" Kol abruptly asked, shaken out of his stunned state.

The youngest Mikaelson had just seen something he didn't think he would ever see, a match to his soulmate mark. Even though he tried to avoid his own he knew the design well enough to spot it in an instance, and the location on the back of the neck aligned with his. It was an odd feeling to see the star shape on someone else, since it had been unique to him for over a thousand years, but the more troubling thing was what they entailed.

Klaus ignored his brother question, and looked at Davina like she had just told him the funniest story. In his mind, she had. He never thought he would see the day.

"Well little witch, it seems you and Kol are a perfect match."


	4. soulmates (part two of two)

**part two** of two

After The Harvest Davina told herself that she would stop running away from problems. Through her own experience she decided it only delayed the inevitable.

While she waited for her coffee at her favorite cafe she convinced herself she wasn't breaking her rule. She knew she couldn't hide in plain sight forever, but sooner or later she figured Marcel would take Davina back to some attic to keep her away from Kol. Though she didn't know the circumstances she knew Marcel had a bad experience with the youngest original, and her apparent soulmate, in the past. Knowing that and the look on the his face drew Davina to the conclusion that if it were up to him she would be far away from Kol.

When she grabbed her drink she made a move to go out the door, but when she looked over she saw that a certain original vampire had walked in. Slowing to a stop she let herself look him in the eye, at least acknowledging he was there.

She knew that she was delaying the inevitable, but she had just wanted time to think. She had up and left the Abattoir the day before. She was sure she looked incredibly awkward, and it wasn't the smoothest exit. She excelled at dramatic walks, the ones where she strode in and out with ease to show her power. Quick exits prompted by the fact you were destined to be with someone lovingly called the psychopath by his psychotic family were not as graceful. She had fumbled picking up her supplies, and then she scurried out the door. If she was a vampire she could've zipped out, but as a mere witch with average speeds she scuttled.

Until that moment she realized that she hadn't actually done the spell for Klaus yet. The silence that the information had caused made the prospect of chanting and doing a spell uncomfortable.

She was afraid her tight grip on her coffee cup would squeeze the contents out, but she managed to walk out the door without a spill. As she walked past Kol she held her breath. She didn't know why exactly, it wasn't like it made her disappear. Also, she was pretty sure her anxiety was visible.

The real surprise was that she was able to walk past him without him stopping.

But she shouldn't have found it very surprising when he caught up to her five seconds later on the street. Well, caught up is a bit of an understatement, he appeared before her in a flash.

Instinctively Davina looked around to make sure no one saw him use his vamp speed, and when she saw no shocked expressions she focused her own at Kol.

"You shouldn't do that in the open," she muttered, moving around him to continue down the street. He didn't a beat, falling into step with her.

"You were walking away from me, what was I supposed to do?" he asked with nonchalance.

"You didn't have to follow me," she offered, trying not to look over at him. She kept her eyes straight in front of her. Her destination was undetermined since she hadn't planned on leaving the cafe so soon, but she hoped that it looked like she was walking with a purpose.

"Well how else am I supposed to speak with my-" he paused, wanting to avoid the specific word, "-someone who shares my mark." Davina couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at his hesitation to the words, but she understood it. Who wants to discuss with a complete stranger about how according to a magical birthmark they were meant to be. "Even I'll admit we can't continue on like nothing happened," he added when he saw her expression. She looked incredibly unconvinced. "We might as well skip the awkward part."

"And what exactly are we skipping to?" she asked, brow raised as she took a sip of her coffee. She took a turn right at the end of the street, and Kol kept up, but wasn't quick to respond. "I don't see you as the settling down type." There was a moment of silence, then she quickly added on more, "not that I suggest that we settle down, I'm just saying I don't see you as the type to want to chat up your… someone who shares a mark."

"And what makes you think you know me so well," he asked, eyes wide as if genuinely concerned.

"I've heard stories." Another turn right presented itself, and she took it, having more of an idea where she wanted to go.

"I've heard some stories about you too," he countered, he did try to keep himself in the loop when i came to witches, "but I try not to believe everything I hear."

"I somehow doubt you heard that I've killed hundreds of people." Hundreds was generous, she was sure it was more in the thousands. "I also don't think the word psychopath has been associated with me in those stories," she told him.

"Well, it's a bit unfair to think of someone as only a word," he protested.

"The word entails a lot."

"Don't actions speak louder?" he asked almost teasingly as she slowed to a stop. He recognized the street they were on. It seemed that she had taken them in a small loop, or a square rather.

"I like words," she said simply, although they didn't come out confidently. She wasn't sure she wanted to know his actions after he left the word psychopath up in the air. So she motioned her head to the familiar cafe to their left. She had decided after a little bit of walking they needed to sit down and have a conversation.

"More coffee?"

"We can sit down and talk," she suggested, "they really have great coffee."

Though not much of a coffee person, Kol ended up agreeing with her.

•••

Back when the soulmate mark was first created the issue of dating was not existent. Back then it was more of a match made quickly and then they were married off, the mark just got the match right. The problem with with present day marks is that it defeats the purpose of the dating period. It exists so you can get to know a person, and it either ends or it doesn't. The mark gets rid of the guesswork, at least in theory, and really just makes the dating period a confusing will they won't they.

Not that Davina and Kol were dating. They were just seeing each other in typical date setting regularly. But they weren't dating, they both pushed that idea to friends and family. Their interactions very much conflicted with their statements.

Marcel appreciated the insistence that there was nothing there. Others, namely Rebekah, found it bothersome.

"Why won't you just admit you like her, or that you're together?" Kol's sister inquired. She surveyed the party, looking for the witch in question. Klaus had thrown some grand affair for some reason or another, and it and she had lost track of her in the crowd.

"I don't see you making an effort to speak to the Salvatore," he retorted, making the blonde stiffen.

"That is an entirely different situation," she murmured, taking a long sip of her wine before continuing on. "You and Davina have very few obstacles in the way," she reminded him, and to her surprise his absolute denial of the situation had yet to been one of them.

"You know what they say about falling for mortals," he trailed, and Rebekah sighed, because it was something she had heard before.

"First sign of weakness?" she confirmed, and she rolled his eyes. "I was hoping your non-feeling shell would've melted a bit when I heard the news." Admittingly Rebekah was concerned when she heard that Kol had met the person who shared his soulmate mark. Her alarm grew when she learned it was Davina, somehow who she generally felt for. She saw a lot of herself in the young witch, and didn't know how she felt about her wild brother being the person she was destined to be with.

"I feel, I just don't just don't have much remorse" he explained, and he restrained from saying it was more of a core than a shell.

She took a second before replying. "Davina only gets a portion a small sliver of life compared to you," she said simply, and he hated the reminder, "so don't waste the time you're both going to be together." With that she picked up a new glass from a passing waiter and took off, leaving Kol alone off to the side of the room.

After several minutes he spotted Davina in the midst of the crowd. Her hair was down, something that always seemed to feel like a personal offense to the original. Due to a shorter hair trend in men his mark was very visible. Maybe he wasn't putting his heart on his sleeve, but he was putting a message out there to anyone who realized what it was. It wasn't much as a message without a match though, and his was more often than not covered up.

He may not fully accepted their fated relationship himself, but he didn't like the idea of Davina purposely hiding it.

He set down his drink and maneuvered his way over to where she was standing. At that moment she was talking with two werewolves whom Elijah had insisted they invite to keep all the species on good terms. He was sure that Hayley's input was reason for their appearance as well. Their conversation was simple enough, light discussion about how interspecies politics were good lately. The thing that made the original quicken his step was the look one of wolves was giving Davina, suggesting he wasn't happy his friend had come along for the ride.

Another saying Kol knew was three's a crowd, but he wasn't quite sure was four was.

He flashed the two wolves a quick smile when he came up beside Davina, snaking his arm around her waist. "Hello," he muttered, directed only to the witch. He had a grin on his face but his eyes were serious, and they didn't seem to be wavering from her. It was entirely to intimate of a look, especially considering that he was wrapped his arm around her waist as if they had done it a million times before. It made her self conscious as she saw the quick change in expression from the two men she had been speaking to, as well as people surrounding them.

She gave Kol a quick nod and a smile, but tried to focus her attention on who she'd been trying to talk to.

"We can talk some more later," one of them offered up, eyeing the vampire to her side.

"It was nice to meet you two," she said, watching as they both retracted themselves from the conversation and moved away. She didn't think it was because Kol was a vampire though, there were plenty around. She figured it had more to do with the signal said vampire was trying to send, which didn't escape her notice.

"You can take your arm off me, they're gone," she said with clear annoyance. She glanced down his hold around her waist and let out a small sigh. He wasn't very picky on when he when he wanted to show affection and when not to, but she was sure that a Mikaelson party was not the most appropriate.

"That's just my way or saying hello," he countered.

"You said hello, I don't think you needed more than that."

She knew that wasn't much help though. He didn't need to voice that actions spoke louder than words again, because he liked to prove that theory over the course of their many not dates. If it weren't for the obvious motives behind the waist move she would have appreciated that it didn't feel forced. Considering their apparent situation, the whole destined to be together thing, she would hope things wouldn't be forced.

The reality that they meshed together well was surprising to them both, but somewhat worrying to Davina at first. Prince Charming never had a problem with remembering the names of the people he killed, and didn't have to awkwardly recount a few massacres of his own doing over dinner.

She didn't talk to him for six days after one of his admittances, but she found it was hard to do. Josh said the universe was working double time to keep the two together.

The scary thing was that Davina didn't see the person that Kol seemed to be in the past. She knew he had been near death at one point, and had experienced the full blow of it. So she knew what it felt like, feeling invincible and then suddenly realizing there was nothing you could do to save your own life. It was because of that she reasoned he'd moved away from reckless killer onto more of his sibling's methods. She didn't think the personality had changed all that much, but there was a divide between what she heard and what she saw, and she knew it hadn't been because what she heard was untrue.

"Well I wanted to greet you with flair," he said, and they started to move away from their original spot. "Want a drink?"

"A water sounds great," she replied, and he expected nothing less. Davina wasn't a drinker, and from her stature that was probably good judgement on her part.

Once they got their drinks, water with a slice or lemon for her and based with gin for him, they lingered on the edge of the courtyard where the party were taking place. No one was really dancing, it was more of a cocktail party sort of thing. It just had a certain flair to it that made it seem grander than people discussing their day and supernatural politics. She guessed that was just the Mikaelson way.

"You look ravishing tonight," he complimented and she gave him a smile. "I can understand why that wolf were making eyes at you," he continued, and the teasing tone in his voice took on a more serious note. It was something that Davina didn't appreciate.

"Is this what that was about?" she asked, and she knew she sounded in disbelief but it wasn't that hard to recognize. Kol didn't really play with others, she knew that much. Her question warranted no response, so with a sigh she added, "really?"

He looked at her and though he said nothing she could see the admittance in his expression. She wasn't going to get more than that.

"Well you don't really have the grounds to do that," she reminded him, sipping on her water to avoid having to say more. They weren't dating, they weren't together, and even if they were he would have to learn not to bare his fangs. Metaphorically speaking of course, she hoped he wouldn't be enough of an idiot to actually do that to two werewolves.

"Well they didn't know there was someone else in the picture-" and she raised her brow at the comment "-and I didn't think it was that great of an idea to let them think you were fully available."

"Are you saying you're the someone else in the picture?" Davina asked, not holding her breath even if he was pretty clear in what he had said.

"Well I'm something," he said. It was if he meant to sound confident, but the words fell out of his mouth stumbling. In truth a crowded party probably wasn't the best place to discuss such private matters, but it was the elephant in the room. "I'm more than something, I'm a someone." Davina couldn't help but look at the mark that was visible on his neck.

"I was under the impression that we weren't going to talk about that," she muttered, tearing her eyes away from the _that _in question. On their very first coffee date, or whatever it should be called, they decided it was best to ignore the soulmate marks and simply get to know each other. Very quickly she became aware that without the marks prompting their excursions that he probably wouldn't have spent time with her. Somehow that didn't cheapen it though.

"Well that a bit of an oversight on our parts wasn't it," he replied, "we can't just go on forever ignoring the facts."

She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. She wasn't sure what fully accepting the facts meant actually. Due to the cutting back of marks she had never actually met a soulmate pair. She didn't know they dealt with it in a modern world, because she wasn't going to be marrying Kol Mikaelson anytime soon.

"So what would we do then, if we decided to fully embrace the facts," she inquired, setting down her water because she came to realize she was shaky. The brick ledge looked like a decent enough temporary table.

"Not calling it the facts might be a good start," she offered up.

"So what I meant to say was that we need to fully acknowledge that we have matching soulmate marks," he corrected, looking down to Davina. He tried to do his signature grin but he didn't have his normal arrogance so it looked more like an uncertain smile.

"And that we're-"

"Soulmates?" he finished, a very nervous laugh following the word.

"That," she agreed, but she couldn't bring herself to laugh. It was such a loaded word, and understandingly so, but she didn't think she would be dealing with it so soon in her life.

She was going to ask how they could embrace the marks more, but before she could start speaking Kol ducked his head down and kissed Davina. For a moment she forgot she was in a very crowded party with most of the prominent supernaturals in the city, and she kissed him back. When she came to her senses and pulled back.

"Actions speak louder," he whispered.


	5. more than one night

Davina slinked out of a stranger's bedroom that morning with a mixed feelings. She felt pretty ballsy for having slept with a guy she had met just last night. The high of good sex and the confidence it gave her was lessened when she realized exactly what she had just done.

It wasn't like her one night walk on the wild side would affect her future decisions. She was still, at the end of the day, the designated driver you could count on to keep everyone in check. That's why last night when her best friend convinced her to go to the bar with him and his boyfriend she had to promise them she'd try to have fun.

She gave the man one last look as she exited his apartment. She couldn't help but notice the apartment itself as she snuck a peek at the bar boy, who she vaguely remembered introducing himself as Kol. Though that could've been wrong, it was just something starting with a "K" or a "C". His first name wasn't her biggest question though as she took in his nice property. She had googled on her phone and found out she was in a prime location of New Orleans, and in the daylight she found it was a nice place to boot.

Davina, even with a small impairment of alcohol, had very good judgment when it came to one night stands.

Well her first pick was good at least, she wasn't sure a second would be in her cards anytime soon.

Her lack of experience made her departure a bit uncomfortable. She felt like she should wait until he woke up and give him a quick wave goodbye. She tried to abandon her views of pleasantries as she closed the door slowly behind her, making sure it didn't make too loud of a clang as it shut.

She kept her eyes straight to the stairwell and exit of the apartment, nervously smoothing out the jeans she had worn the previous. She didn't think she looked guilty of anything, she's ran her fingers through her hair. She tried to remind herself that even if she did make it look obvious she was doing a so called "walk of shame" that there was no actual shame in it.

As a single confident woman she was allowed to sleep whenever and with whomever she so pleased. Even if it was for just night.

And even if in the pit of her stomach she felt like she was fleeing a crime scene.

A ring from her phone greeted her as she made it onto the street, and she looked down to see the oncoming call wasn't from Josh but from Marcel. Friend wasn't the right word to fit shim. After her parents departure from her life he had taken Davina in, and though he wasn't that much older he took her under his wing. Thanks to him she still had some form of a parent in her life, even if he declared he more the big brother than the protective dad.

"What's up, little D?" He greeted, and for a second she was sure Josh had told him that she had disappeared at the bar the night before. Josh and Marcel shared a common interest in keeping Davina's best interests at heart (though their opinions of what was best differed). In addition they worked together, which meant small talk at work often found a topic of interest in Davina Claire.

Looking back she did remember giving him a heads up that she was leaving though, which garnered an incredibly surprised yet supportive reaction. He had commented that the boy she was leaving with was very cute. His boyfriend Aiden have him a playful push for that, and then she was off.

"Nothing much, just taking a walk," she replied, omitting details that didn't need to be rehashed. It was technically true, just not the type of walk home an adoptive family member would love to hear about. The route did take her by her favorite coffee shop though, so maybe she could make it into a breakfast trip if she could handle the day old clothing and makeup.

After seeing her reflection in a puddle she decided a shower would be the best option. No need for loitering around The Quarter on her way back to her own apartment.

"Well I just called to see if you were available tonight?" He asked. "I'm throwing a small private party to celebrate the opening of the new club and it wouldn't be complete without you there."

"I'll have to check my busy schedule," she teased, "but I think I can make it." Her cash income was mixing herbs and making home remedies for a local shop. It was a nice job in that she could set up her own times. Tourists always bought stuff from them because they thought they were buying bonafide products of local witches. As long as Davina kept the supply up, the demand remained.

A celebration of his newest club opening up meant that a benefactor would be most definitely making an appearance. That was one of the factors that made Davina second guess saying yes.

There were three Mikaelsons in New Orleans, and Davina wasn't really a fan of any of them. Klaus, one of the brothers, was always bossing people, including Marcel, around. His family came from old money and they used that money to sponsor the odd project here and there around the city. It made Klaus, as well as his siblings Elijah and Rebekah, figureheads in the city. Rebekah wasn't that bad, just a bit icy, but Davina tried to avoid being around them, they send off bad vibes.

There were apparently more of them scattered across the globe, but three was more than enough for her to handle.

"Even if you don't come you're already on the list-" he took a pause, "-you should come though, I haven't seen enough of you lately."

Her response wasn't quick, because she wasn't about to be quick about deciding if it was worth it to go out two nights in a row."I'll be there," she ultimately promised, because it was true that she hadn't seen enough of him.

She had finally moved away his building a few months before, but his business ventures kept him too busy to actually have time to spend with her.

"I'll see you at 10." With that her call was bluntly disconnected as he went off to finish up final arrangements for his second club. The Abattoir, his first club, had been a hit, and three years later he was opening up a second. According to him it was a more refined Abattoir, but Davina had a hard time seeing him run a classy club.

Those were the type of places Josh hated with a passion. Davina hadn't been before, but she admitted it sounded like a very nice idea.

The question of the club's level of class was called into question when Davina was getting dressed for the night ahead. She had called Josh, who had helped get the club off the ground, to see what the dress code was. With his lacking advice she settled on a simple little black dress.

She wasn't planning on wowing anyone at the party, and she was perfectly happy blending into the background as long as she could spend some time with her friends.

When she got the club became apparent the small private party was a bit larger than intended. It was basically a pre opening. The building was packed with people she barely knew.

"I'm gonna go grab a drink," she told Marcel who was busy talking to a investor. He gave her a nod and she went off and went to get a water. She wasn't much of a drinker in general, so nights like these she usually went through sober.

"Just a water please," she ordered, leaning into the bar so she didn't have to shout.

"Well isn't the world a small place," a voice said to her left, and though she recognized it she couldn't place it. She looked over to see who it was, and realizing that he was most definitely speaking to her.

"Maybe it's just eastern New Orleans that's small," she countered, looking at the boy she had had met into the night before. She had fully expected for that to be the last of him, no one told Davina what to do when you stumbled upon a one night stand the very next day.

"Or maybe it's fate," he joked, shooting her a grin and then ordering a drink for himself.

"Well I don't know if it'd go that far." She took him in and the situation felt very familiar. Only it was a club instead of a small bar, and they were near strangers with a small history.

"It's Davina right?" he asked for confirmation, "Davina Claire?" He moved closer to her, and she sipped on the water the bartender had slid over. She fought the urge to tip it back as if it was alcohol. Attempting to act calm and actually suppressing nerves are two very different things.

So she gave him a nod paired with a smile. Josh once said her smile was enough to distract someone for at least a whole minute, and she hoped that held a bit of truth. "And it's Kol?" She asked, hoping she didn't mess up on that much. His sharp smirk seemed assurance enough. "Didn't catch the last one," she admitted, taking on an apologetic tone.

"It's-"

"Kol Mikaelson-" a third voice chimed in, one that Davina was able to place in a moment,"-I introduce you to a perfectly nice girl and then you just run off." Rebekah Mikaelson had appeared beside them, and it didn't take long for her to connect the dots.

"Oh, Davina, you look lovely tonight," she said, obviously surprised to see her talking to who she assumed to be one of other brothers. She gave her an appreciative smile, but didn't say anything. She was too busy thinking through the connection.

"You know each other?" Kol asked, motioning his drink in between the blonde and the brunette.

"You know each other?" Rebekah repeated, almost in a mocking way, but there was a tinge of genuine interest.

"Well I wouldn't say we know each other well," Davina interjected, her sips more nervous by the second. The Mikaelson sister was intimidating, but her real problem was that once she heard something Marcel would. At least it would when it concerned Davina.

"We met last night," Kol explained, though that did raise Rebekah's interest. "And one could argue that in some ways we know each other quite-"

"Is Marcel looking for me?" Davina quickly asked, not wanting the Mikaelson brother to say any more.

"Actually he was," Rebekah said, looking over her shoulder to look for him. "I told him I'd keep an eye out while I looked for Kol but it seems I've killed two birds with one stone."

"I'll go over there then," she replied, moving away from two. They fell into step behind her though.

"So how did you two meet? Kol's only in town for a few days," Rebekah pointed out, and Davina found herself in the middle of the two as they made their way over to Marcel. Rebekah was being chatty, Kol was quieter, surveying the scene around them; looking down to Davina for a few seconds longer than was probably necessary. "Funny he'd run into you," she noted.

"I was at a bar with Josh, and he was there," she explained in response. It felt weird discussing their meeting as such an event. It could be described as passing at most, Davina hardly remembered Kol's name the morning after. He flirted with her, she flirted back, and things lead to another.

But there wasn't much conversation.

"Look who I found chatting it up at the bar," Rebekah declared. Marcel looked up expecting to find Kol Mikaelson, his least favorite of the family, but instead was surprised to find Davina standing there as well.

He tried to shoot a smile but it was weak at most.

"Chatting… together," he repeated, and Rebekah gave him a nod as well as a upward twitch of her grow. As if it suggest there was more.

Not presently, Davina thought. Past tense. The recent past, but still old news.

"Well that's fun," he continued, teeth gritted. He looked over to Kol, and though his expression didn't change The young Mikaelson noted the way the old family friend was looking at him. He looked a little like an angry dad who just found out his daughter had been caught out with the town's resident bad boy. For a moment he was about to question Davina's she, but when he looked over at her she didn't seem to crumple in front of him.

"The club looks great," she complimented, and she wasn't lying when she said it. It was definitely was a step up from the Abattoir, though it was pretty compact. She was sure Josh would say it just made it feel more exclusive.

"Thanks, D." His smile grew to be a little more genuine. The two starting chatting and Kol watched them. He didn't get the jealous bone off of Marcel, just incredibly pissed off.

Kol did tend to inspire the worst out of people. Namely Marcel, who always seemed to despise him after a practical prank he pulled years ago.

"Don't even try with Davina," his sister muttered after drifting closer to him. "She's a smart girl," she pointed out, "and she will see through you." He moved his attention away from the girl in question. "Besides, she's been through a lot and I'm sure she would only be looking for something serious," she added offhandedly.

He couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle in response to that. Her early departure that morning begged to differ. He wasn't about to tell Rebekah that though, he suspected she would only judge and maybe slap him.

"You think so low of me, sister," he accused, but she didn't protest. Just shrugged and took a long sip of her wine. "I was simply being nice to her," he went on to say, "I didn't expect to see her again and thought it would be the nice thing to do."

Rebekah looked deep in concentration at Davina, and she furrowed her brows as the clogs churned in her mind.

"She is completely your type," she observed, tilting her head a little. She didn't say it in a very encouraging manner, it was more like finding out about a death sentence. "Kol, I really don't need you to mess with-"

"And what's my type, dearest Rebekah," he asked, and it was a statement dripping with sarcasm. He always got annoyed when his sister tried to say she knew him better than he realized, because that's just the first step towards a lecture.

"Well you like brunettes," she started, trying to keep her voice hushed even though it was doubtful Davina could hear them over the lots music. "I've noticed in a trend with petite girls," was shortly added, although she have to admit that height differences were definitely cute. "And she's pretty, so there's that."

"You make me sound so shallow."

"Well I wouldn't cut Davina that short, she could hold her own against you. I guess that fits in a with a trend you have," she ventured. "You like confident women."

"So you're saying I like pretty little things with sharp tongues," he summarized. He opened his mouth to argue but he had to admit it was pretty accurate.

"Exactly," she said simply, giving Davina a long look. "But I won't let you mess with this one, partially because Marcel's hostility would turn into something more murderous." She smiled to herself and turned to face Kol. "You're not going to be getting any closer to Davina Claire, brother."

He let the conversation skip a beat before he replied. "Well I already slept with her," he informed, giving her an overzealous smile before making his way back out into the crowd.

Rebekah had failed her personal mission before it even began.

Though she had gotten the news she decided not to bring it up in into conversation. Especially when after Kol disappeared again she started talking to Marcel and Davina. She was sure her would cheeks would burn a bright red, and that he would hire a hitman.

Rebekah liked having secrets anyway, it made for good blackmail. If she ever got cross with him she could let the information slip to papa bear and he could get punished without much effort on her part. She didn't think that would happen anytime in the near future though. Davins obviously was uncomfortable with seeing Kol again and there was a girl code there. At the end of the day she was a strong believer in girls sticking together, even if one of the girls didn't know who was sticking up for her.

"I think I'm gonna call it a night," Davina announced abruptly. It had hardly been an hour since she arrived.

"You just got here?" Marcel argued, but Davina shrugged.

"I didn't sleep well last night so I think I'm going to turn in early," she reasoned. Rebekah saw the irony in her statement but made no comment.

"Night," the blonde chorused along with the surrounding people. They were all the people in Marcel's corner so to speak, so they all knew her at least in name.

Davina made it about halfway through when the room when she noticed Kol was still hanging around, but he just moved to another corner of the room. He was sitting on an uncomfortable looking couch and scrolling through his phone.

She thought she might as well smash goodbye the second time around.

"Goodnight," she said, getting ready to turn back towards the door when he jerked his head up from his phone.

"Oh, leaving soon soon?"

"It's not really my thing," she motioned around her, "the whole club thing. Or the whole partying thing, depending on how you look at it."

"Well both times I've seen you you've been at a setting that you seem to deny," he pointed out.

"You caught me on two rare occasions," and from what he'd seen both nights he had figured as much. At the bar Davina was mopey as she watched her friend talk to his boyfriend. At the club she was drinking a water and standing around waiting for a reason to leave.

"So a Saturday night in is more your speed?" He inquired.

"Much more."

"Then how about we go back to my place?" He asked, and Davina froze in place.

"That other thing I did was kind of a rare occurrence too," she admitted, and Kol decided to spin his proposition another way.

"We can just talk, hang out," he offered, "just so the night doesn't have to be over so soon." Davina debated why she was even debating saying yes. "Clubbing aren't really my style either, though I will admit I like a good bar."

"Just talk," She repeated incredulously.

"I'm a man of my word," he promised.

Davina wasn't sure if she actually believed that, but she took him up on the offer anyway.

They did just that, they talked. Kol actually shed his plans of trying to extend their one night into two after a few minutes of actual conversation with her. They sat in his apartment living room for two and a half when Davina shifted closer to him.

It was reaching two a.m. when she leaned and kissed him, and they ended up making their one night stand into a two.

After the third time they didn't bother referring to it like two strangers would.


	6. dark times

**kolvina + 10th century**

Davina knew she was different when she was ten years old.

She wasn't a girl that particularly stood out. She a little shorter than most, even at her age, but nothing made her stand out in anyone's mind; not even her mother's.

That was until she killed half the village's crops.

No one had seen it except for her mother, who had been trailing behind her curious daughter. A young Davina strayed from the village's center, and was making her way through the woods when she stopped by the field.

"Davina, slow down for -"

The crops died in an instant. One moment they were ready for harvest, and the next they were shriveled and blackened. When Davina turned her head back towards her shocked mother they flourished back to life. It all happened in less than five seconds, but it wasn't a simple trick of the eye.

Davina was fully aware of what she had done. As was her mother.

Her mother was a non practicing witch, who had hoped her daughter would never tap into her power. She thought if she never taught her how to use her powers that Davina would live life without magic.

Davina hadn't known her mother was a witch but did know of them. The feeling of energy that had coursed through her had to be something greater than human.

Her mother wasn't keen on furthering her ability, but Davina was. She begged her mother to teach her magic but was taught how to cook instead.

Davina wasn't that great with spices, but she knew she had a better talent. She just wasn't sure how to tap into it.

When she was thirteen her uncontrolled power started to become a problem. Davina was able to kill the patch of roses by her home without trying, but when she focused on bringing them back there was nothing. Without meaning to she was able to light a candle's wick, but couldn't create a flame if she had tried. And she did. She with all her might, and she did often.

One day, after asking her mother for help only to receive a cold look, she walked around the village with a dead rose in her hand. The thorns dug into her hand but she was too focused to bringing the flower back to life to care.

She wasn't ready to give up, but the rose wouldn't budge. Until it did, and it bloomed back to life. It was the first time she was able to do magic on purpose. It wasn't her own mother who had seen her achievement though, it was someone else's.

Esther was a mother of six. She also happened to be a practicing witch. The village had their suspicions of course, but no one gone up to her home with pitchforks.

She recognized magic when she saw it, and she went to speak with Davina's mother when she had the chance.

At first her mother was furious, and understandably so. Davina had been told not to practice magic and she was doing so in public. Esther had assumed her mother was unaware of her daughter's ability, but once she realized what was happening she jumped in. She presented a clear argument as to why Davina needed be trained, and swiftly, but she was met by an excuse.

Davina's mother admitted that the woman was right, but still protested. She declared that she had forgone magic, and didn't want to bring herself back to it by teaching Davina.

Esther took time to formulate a response because it would affect her life as well, but once it was said there was no reason that Davina should have been restricted from magic.

"Let me teach her," she offered. Those four words altered the young witch's life.

* * *

><p>Davina wasn't exactly a natural, but she was a keen learner.<p>

"If I use this incantation I'll always be able to do the spell on command?" She asked Esther. She was referring to a spell that kindled flames.

"One day you will not even need a spell to do it easily," her mentor told her. That one day wasn't far off. She'd been practicing with Esther for weeks, and she already had gained more control of her power. At a young age she had great potential.

"It should not be too far off," Rebekah, Esther's daughters commented. Rebekah was only a year older than Davina, and wasn't too far ahead of her in training. They were both relatively new to training. Davina because she had been kept from it; Rebekah because she hadn't tapped into her powers.

Despite the potential for a rivalry the two got along. Davina had the potential to grow stronger than the blonde witch, but Rebekah never expected to be the best blooming witch anyway. She had basic grasp of magic, but the true protege of their family was her brother Kol.

Kol had more time to practice the craft, but disregarding his almost two years on Rebekah and his early start he was still a natural.

"I think I'm done for today," the brother in question informed Esther. He closed the spell book he had been reading and gave his mother a large grin. Esther gave him a pointed look, and Rebekah sighed. They had barely been at it for an hour.

That was Kol's problem. He was a natural witch, and he loved the power, but he was not exactly dedicated. He couldn't sit still, and when lessons involved more learning than doing he quickly got bored.

Esther always scolded him and told Kol it would be his downfall. He just rolled his eyes, gave Rebekah and Davina a prompt goodbye, and went out to do whatever it was he did outside of their home.

Later it would be brought to light that he tried to spend time with either Klaus or Elijah. Kol would later proudly say that he never wanted to spend time with Finn, who he found to be a bore.

"Be sure to come back soon," Esther reminded as he made him way out the door.

They had started their lessons early that day because that night was the full moon. The village went to hide in the caves from when the sun set to when it rose again the next morning to stay safe from the wolves. Precautions were to be taken, so everyone finished their routine early so no one was left unaccounted for.

After a check with the villagers Esther knew it was time to wrap up their lesson. Davina was just observing Rebekah as she practiced a spell, so when Esther needed her to go fetch Kol and Henrik, her youngest son, Davina had no hesitation. She had already learned more magic than she ever thought she would get with her mother.

The village wasn't large, but she couldn't find Kol with any of his brothers so she ventured towards the forest. Later that night the forest would be off limits, but while the sun was still high in the sky she was safe. That did not mean she would take her time finding him in the woods though.

"Kol," she called out, trying not to make her voice too loud. She had heard too many stories about the woods on a full moon when she was young, and anyone at the age of six is impressionable. "Kol, we need to-"

He was sitting hunched over on the stump of a fallen tree. What was probably a bird made Davina hurry toward him. She opened her mouth to speak but when she got to his side she realized he was focused on a spell, one that seemed to be failing.

"You're trying to bring a bird back to life?" Davina asked, not sure if she meant that to be rhetorical. In front of Kol sat a bird with a snapped neck. Kol's eyes popped open and he looked up at the girl who his mother had taken under her wing.

"Henrik was playing with some other kids and one of them accidentally killed the bird," he quickly explained. "He was really upset so I figured I would at least try." He looked back toward his current project, and all he did was he blink. "Besides, I thought I would just see if I could do it."

Kol had proven through more minor spells that he had power. Though he didn't take his lessons as seriously as Esther would like she recognized his skill.

"I think it requires a bit more than your average restoration spell," she commented. There were some ingredients that circled the dead bird, but she wasn't sure what their purpose was.

"It's just a minor animal," he argued, "and according to the books the added strength of the plants should be enough." Davina looked again at what he had used, and she remembered the one of the flowers from when Esther showed her a box of herbs and plants she kept to aid spells.

"Does your mother know that you're using her ingredients?" she inquired, and Kol froze, looking up at the young witch.

"I suspect you know the answer to that." She shrugged, and once again at the bird. The setup was quite pretty, with the flowers and leaves encircling it, but the unnatural angle of the creature's neck ruined the effect. When he received no further response he had to continue his inquiry. "Are you going to tell her?" he asked. If it had been Rebekah who found him he could have come up with his own answer, but he barely knew Davina. Esther had told them two months before that she would be aiding a girl from the village with her magic. The next day Davina showed up, and she had done so every day since. Despite her common appearance in their household she didn't speak much beyond the topic of magic, and even then it was only strictly what Esther had been teaching her.

"I am not quite sure," she replied, "what would I be getting out of this?"

"Well aren't you a pesky little thing." He laughed, and she rose her brows.

"I'm not little," she protested, "not in height or age." Luckily Kol was sitting down when she made the comment, because the height could've been easily argued. He stood a good foot taller than her, and had not yet turned sixteen. Whereas Davina was of short stature, and had already experienced most of her growth in height if her mother's frame was any implication.

The question of age could be argued as well. He was almost three years older than her. Luckily he didn't make any additional comments on her protest of being little.

"What could be in it for you," he started, motioning toward the dead bird, "is the possibility of knowing you can resurrect a bird."

"You're going to teach me how to do something you cannot even do?"

"No, but you can help me so I can do it," he told her in a very vague explanation. Davina was drawing a blank to what he meant.

"I have the right spell, I just don't have enough power on my own to complete," he said, "so I could channel your power." His expression, a grin that he always seemed to wear, gave off the impression that he had offered a great deal. Davina didn't see how it worked out for her.

"I think you would be getting more out of this than me," she noted, giving the bird a different look now. One of more hesitation.

"I'm doing it for Henrik," he reminded her, and that did bring up a point. Luckily for Kol she decided to ignore his earlier comment about simply wanting to see if he could pull it off.

"You can channel me," she told him, extending her hand. She had briefly seen a passage on channeling while flipping through one of Esther's books. "I do warn you, I am not very strong yet." The _yet _made Kol's grin soften into a smile as he stood up, and took Davina's hand.

"You may be stronger than you think" he told her, and and an uncertain smile made it's way to her lips as he started to mutter a spell she didn't know. Immediately she felt her power being used, and she shut her eyes in concentration.

If it weren't for the sudden flapping of wings the sudden halt of power would have alarmed Davina that the spell was done. Not only was the spell complete, but it had worked. The result was a bird that quickly flew into the sky.

"I don't Henrik will ever see the bird again," Davina said, once she opened her eyes she saw that the animal in question was flying away from them.

Kol let out out an airy laugh, and it wasn't until he squeezed her hand that they realized their hands were still clasped. This lead to a quick separation, but Davina still couldn't believe that her power was able to help bring something back to life. Roses were one thing, but a bird was an entirely different level.

"Why did you come out here again?" he asked, and she murmured a curse underneath her breath.

"Your mother sent me to get you and Henrik," she told him, "she wanted you all rounded up before you went to the caves."

Their celebration was short lived as the pair started to make their way out of the wood. The victory would stick with the two of them for some time, even if what they had accomplished stayed between the two of them.

When they got back the village they found they were running late. They were able to find Henrik, who was playing with the same kids who Davina assumed killed the bird earlier. When Davina checked her home for her mother she was met with an empty house. Her mother always was overly cautious, so it was no surprise she had gone to the caves with the early crowd.

"You can come with us," Kol offered when she saw her look of concern. Davina hoped she looked appreciative, but she was looking too often toward the lowering sun to express her thanks.

When the three returned back to the Mikaelson home the rest of the family had already been gathered up. Mikael was temporarily away with some of the other men trip to speak with a neighboring village, but the rest of the family was present.

Esther looked at Davina with some surprise, she had figured she would have gone with her mother.

"Her mother already went to the caves," Kol explained.

"Then we should get going as well," Esther replied, giving the dark headed witch to his side a warm smile. "If you can't find you mother you are perfectly welcome to sit with us in the caves."

And so she did.

Night was falling fast and the barricades had been put up, sealing the villagers into their home for the night. The howling caused uneasiness among almost everyone, and very few got sound sleep, but it kept them safe.

Davina was one of the few trying to fall asleep. It hadn't hit her until she sat down, and the only light source became lanterns, but the her use of magic from earlier had wiped her out. She had never experienced that type of exertion before.

She rested against the stone wall and shut her eyes, trying to drown out the noise that came from outside. She felt someone move closer to her, and she opened to eyes to find that it was Kol who was sitting beside her. She had sat with his family, but gave herself some distance. It was one thing learning alongside Rebekah and Kol, but Esther was in a very maternal and protective mode, which made Davina feel more like an intruder.

"Can you not sleep?" he whispered, and a howl that sounded close was really all she needed as an answer.

"Try to," he suggested, "I know how exhausted you must be." Kol didn't say it but he was tired as well.

With the wolves roaming the forest in the background she focused on falling asleep, it wasn't too difficult when she was tired already.

Kol was not able to fall asleep until Davina did. He wanted to make sure she was able to first. He tried to remember if he had read any side effects of channeling someone as he looked at the young witch. He drifted to sleep too soon to linger on the question.

* * *

><p>"But Elizabeth's family has already set up a match for her," Rebekah argued with her mother. Davina tried to focus on the spell she was reading up on, but it was hard to do with such a heated discussion going on.<p>

"Elizabeth's family needed her married for an alliance," Esther argued, which caused her daughter to release an noise of annoyance. Marriage had become a primary focus in Rebekah's mind as she approached the age of sixteen. "I hope whomever you marry will be based off more than that."

Rebekah hoped that too, so she let her mother win. Many girls went until the age of twenty without marriage, but Rebekah didn't know of too many options in their village. She was what one may call a bit of a hopeless romantic, but she felt certain that love would follow in most any match. She didn't want to settle for a mutual friendship.

"It would do you well to remember that too, Davina," Esther said, causing the girl in question to jerk her head up.

"My father will pair me off with whomever he wants, whenever he wants," she said with a forced tone of indifference. A frown make it's way to both Mikaelson women's faces. Davina's father was hardly ever mentioned, and he was often away trading goods. She didn't speak often of him, but his absence made her home life difficult.

"Well you have some time before that happens," Rebekah reminded her, with an encouraging smile. Davina was barely fifteen, and though she was beginning to be considered an adult by their village, she would not be expected of marriage. In comparison to nearby settlements their community tended to marry later. None of Esther's children were married, and the eldest Finn was well into his twenties.

"Let's get back to the book, Rebekah." Esther went over to the kitchen where she had been cutting up crops and continued her work. She kept an eye on the girls, and was there to answer questions, but had to finish her duty first.

Davina had work of her own, and marked her page so she could finish it later. Over two short years she had gained control over her powers, and she had gone off on private study of sorts. Kol had been right in what he said, she was a lot stronger than she thought.

Kol himself had improved his ability, though he had less and less time to practice. Davina was given more tasks, but Kol's former tasks had grown to be more time consuming. He prefered magic, and would make comments on how he wished he hadn't wasted so much time before.

Even though the two no longer saw each other during lessons, they managed to find each other throughout the day.

On her way back to her own she would pass Kol. It was not quickest route back to her home from the his, but getting a chat in with him here and there was always worth the extra two minutes.

"If only there was a spell for making wood appear out of thin air already chopped," Davina said as she greeted Kol. He turned to see the little, more in stature than age, witch. He didn't even act surprised, their daily chats became something of a routine.

"It probably exists," he quipped, greeting her with his grin. Recently around Davina it always seemed to be better described as a smile though. "How was my sister and my mother?" he asked, ignoring the complaints from men who were helping him with the wood.

"Rebekah was asking to be married off, but thankfully your mother talked her out of it."

"It would annoy father to no end if Rebekah was married first," he admitted. "He thinks it's time Finn and Elijah get married, but mother's been trying to persuade him otherwise." The complaints from the men behind Kol grew louder, and it was time for them to wrap up their quick chat. He leaned into toward Davina and quickly added onto his words first. "Slip out after dinner tonight and meet me by the woods," he whispered, "I found I spell I want to try." Davina would have opened her mouth to protest, but he had turned back to his work too soon.

The two of them has continued to do magic together after the bird. Kol was always finding odd spells here and there in Esther's books that he wanted to try out, and Davina hardly ever passed the opportunity up. So her issue was not with the spell he wanted to do, but rather with the woods themselves. Even though Davina was more than capable of defending herself with magic, the woods at night was not a place she was happy to go into. .

She made sure her lantern was ready early in the day while she helped her mother out with necessary chores like laundry and cleaning. She once offered to remove a dress' stain with a small spell, but her mother very vocally refused. Magic was a don't ask, don't tell sort of arrangement with her.

She gave her mother an excuse, something about needing to speak with Esther, and she slipped into the darkness. It was nearing winter, so the nights came early and the air had a bite to it. Her lantern was proving to be strictly a light source, providing very little heat as he ventured toward the forest. She spotted Kol waiting at their usual spot.

"You didn't bring a lantern?" was the first thing she asked him, her voice hushed. There wasn't any rules regarding staying out late, but it wasn't entirely proper for them to do so with each other. He lifted himself from the tree had been resting against.

"Well I knew you would," he defended, and Davina let out a soft laugh. Her eyes flitted to the dark wood, cutting off her trailing voice, and then returned her gaze to him.

"Is the spell really worth the hassle?" she asked, and he could tell she was uneasy about going in the forest so late. Kol had been known to get her all the way out to the creek only to show her a new type of transformation spell. Kol swallowed and switched his line of vision to the ground. "Do not tell me you had me come out here just to do another transformation spell."

"You say that like you don't like transformation spells."

"It's a transformation spell?" she confirmed. "Really?"

"I would like to point out that I was not aware you had such a hatred toward them," he said. Davina paused, and lowered the lantern to her side, causing shadows to creep up on Kol's face. "But, if you want to avoid the forest tonight we can do it some other time."

Her shot him a thankful smile, though she wasn't sure if he could see her in the dark. The lantern flickered with dull light that projected onto their upper bodies, and then faded as it was cast further up. A moment of silence overtook them, and though it was not uncomfortable Davina was the one to break it.

"I should be heading then." She began to turn when he protested.

"You could stay a little longer," he told her, stepping closer to her.

"And what could we do?" she inquired, and Kol's expression was unreadable for a moment.

But the uncertainty of the situation was over soon. Kol eyes flicked only slightly below her eyes, and then he moved closer and ducked his head down. Davina had limited experience, and her limited was none, but she knew what was happening. She extended her neck to reach him halfway, which she could tell surprised him as their lips touched.

She had given very little thought to first kisses. She had only figured it would happen with whomever her father would match with her with. There wasn't much thought about it in the moment either. Davina just leaned into him and hoped no random villager decided to pass by.

As they parted Kol found himself grinning. Though Davina's active participation lead him to believe she was happy with what had just happened, a mirrored smile, hers admittingly softer than his, was a good sign.

"We could do that."

Festivals were always a cause for celebration, and everyone in the village showed up for any occasion that fell during bonfire season.

"Elizabeth looks happy," Rebekah noted, eyes watching the girl across the town center. Davina wondered if there was any way there could have been enthusiasm in her voice. The girl subject to Rebekah's scrutiny had been married for almost a year. Rebekah had yet to even meet a match her family would consider.

"Everyone looks happy," Davina argued. That was true, the entire village had lifted spirits because of their celebration. Even Rebekah was happy despite her dissatisfaction about a new year approaching with no marriage possibilities. The blonde would probably never admit that joining a new family scared her, despite her outward keenness. She was incredibly close to her family, especially her brothers Elijah and Klaus who she had earlier made anxious comments on. Rebekah had noticed both of their brother's growing affection for Tatia, one of the women in the village.

"You don't though," she observed, looking to Davina who stood at her side. "Why is that?" she asked, a genuine question from a friend, but also as a concerned sister. The amount of time that Kol and Davina spent together had not gone unnoticed by anyone in the Mikaelson family. "My brother has been in good spirits," she added, as if to prompt Davina.

The problem wasn't Kol. Or to be better put, it wasn't his fault. The root of the problem was in fact directly related to him.

After a deep breath Davina explained the reason behind her recent behavior. She had been moody, and Esther had commented on it earlier. Davina's three years with Esther meant the older witch had grown to know her like a daughter.

"My father has arranged for me to marry someone from a nearby village," she divulged. Rebekah was expecting trouble in seeming paradise with Kol, not a complete stop to it. She had always envisioned herself as a wife when she was sixteen, she never had she imagined that the young bride would be Davina. Even if she engaged in Rebekah's antics the brunette had never applied much enthusiasm to the idea of a marriage of her own.

"That's-" Rebekah couldn't voice any words. After a beat she asked what Davina knew she would. "Does Kol know?" she asked, voice almost a whisper.

Davina firmly shook her head, and as if on cue he made his way over to the two of them. He had been speaking with Esther and Henrik. Davina's cool exterior was quickly falling apart as her eyes widened in worry. She had yet to face him since she received the news.

"I won't tell him," Rebekah muttered, just loud enough to ease her friend for a second as Kol approached.

"Rebekah," he greeted, giving his sister a nod. "Davina." He gave the other witch a grin. Prior to recent news Rebekah would have been happy to see parts of their relationship that they poorly kept secret, such as Kol's grins that melted into genuine smiles. Now all she could think about what Davina breaking the news to her brother. Rebekah didn't think that Kol had any intention of marrying her soon, but from the way they acted together it appeared to her that he saw that as inevitable.

"I'm going to go look for Klaus," she announced, going off to look for her brother. In truth she should probably make sure Elijah and him weren't causing trouble over Tatia.

"How has your day been?" Davina politely asked Kol. The confusion was clearly written on his face. She wasn't looking him in the eye.

"You wouldn't know," he replied, and she could see him trying hard to get her to meet his gaze. "You've been avoiding me, Davina." The bitterness was not what was most prominent in his voice, it was the clear hurt that rang in her ears.

"I need to tell you something," she said. She didn't mean for it come out hushed, but her voice would hardly let the words leave her lips, let alone be audible. Somehow Kol heard it through the laughter that the festivities stirred.

Kol reached for her hands, but Davina shook her head. She was engaged to be married, and that meant she could no longer skirt the line of what was too far in public. Or even in private.

Her rejection only furthered his confusion. So she had no choice but to tell him.

"You're getting married," he repeated, as if the words made no sense to him.

"My father has arranged for me to marry someone," she reworded. "Saying I'm getting married outright sounds so final." She had a few months until the ceremony took place at least. Her mother was superstitions about weddings outside of summer, and it was still in beginnings of winter. She would have until the days got longer and the air hotter.

It didn't matter how you worded it though, it was still final.

Kol looked thrown, which was an odd look for him. Davina would've given anything in that moment for him to have his signature overconfident expression. He looked sad.

"If you don't want it to be final then don't let it be," he told her, and his sadness morphed into something akin to anger. Not toward Davina, rather towards the situation. "If your father wants you married there are other people who you can marry," he continued, pausing to realize that Davina was looking straight him.

"Like you?" Her voice was quiet and unsure.

"Yes." His answer was firm, and he looked at Davina with total assurance. He had grown to realize that she was who he wanted to be with, but he hadn't fully accepted it until that moment. "Like me."

* * *

><p>Her father was angry with Davina at her insistence on severing his agreement with the parents of her betrothed. Her mother did not like the idea of two witches marrying. Esther seemed to be the only one who was advocating for Kol and Davina. Mikael's feelings on the matter had not been clearly laid out, but since he was allowing the idea to be discussed it was safe to assume to all parties involved that he was okay with it.<p>

Things had started to look up when tragedy struck the village. Henrik had been killed by a werewolf.

The Mikaelson family had closed the doors to their home, shutting out everyone and keeping their family within. Since she was thirteen she had walked inside of that home every day, and at the time when they were grieving she wasn't able to help them. Davina herself was grieving, she had grown to know Henrik incredibly well.

She was forced to grieve on her own while the doors remained closed, Mikael and Esther only exiting once every day or so.

No one in the village knew what to do. The mourning period was expected to be considerable considering how close the family was, but they had shut themselves out completely.

It got to the point where Davina considered going up to the home to knock on the door herself. She wanted to be able to express proper condolences and simply see how everyone was doing.

That very night Esther came to Davina.

"I must be brief, my husband is expecting me." She hurried into Davina's home, where her parents were no where to be seen. They were out doing work while Davina tended to their house. Esther expected this and that is why she came at that time. "I need to give you something," she said to explain herself, producing two bottles from a basket she held and passing them to the young witch.

"Are these potions?" Davina asked, not having time to even tell her that she was sorry for the loss of Henrik. In her hand she held a large bottle of red liquid resembling wine, and the other bottle contained a dark purple liquid that was almost black.

"They will help you stay strong," Esther informed her, and her eyes were frantic despite her assuring voice.

"It will make my magic strong?" Davina asked, but Esther made no specifications.

"I need you to listen to me," the older witch said, and Davina had no choice but to listen to her. Esther had placed a firm grip on Davina's wrist and held her eyes as she continued to speak. She felt an obligation to listen to her as she spoke. "Tonight, when you have gone to bed, you will drink the entirety of the red bottle. It is very important that you drink all of it, and the red one first-" Davina nodded so she would know she was listening "-and after waiting only a few minutes you will drink all the of the black vial. All of it."

Davina blinked, staring at the two small bottles. She was what Esther was trying to have her do.

"You must promise me you will take this as I instructed," Esther pressed, trying to get a verbal agreement out of her.

"I don't know why you want me to take it," Davina said, not so much in argument as it was in simple observation.

"It will keep you strong." Esther's words were meant to be soothing and compelling. She had such a maternal touch that it was impossible not to hear her out as if she were her own blood.

"It won't hurt me, right?" she asked. Her mother would kill her if she let a magic potion cause her to have a headache.

"I only want what is best for you," Esther said. The woman would later rethink her actions, but Davina learned that Esther really did want what was best for the her. She had gone behind Mikael's back to provide her with the bottles.

Davina was not quick to reply, but she truly believed what she had been told. She trusted Esther.

"Tonight I'll take the red bottle, and then the black," she repeated, making sure it stuck in her.

"When you wake tomorrow come to my home," Esther told her. After a final reminder of how to drink the bottles Esther left. The whole conversation took place in less than three minutes, but it would prove to be one of the most monumental moments in Davina's life.

Later that night she took the bottles in their instructed order. The red tasted like wine, but there were undercurrents of something else that Davina could not place. She waited several minutes before pulling the black as instructed by Esther. The time between the potions also served for Davina to see if there were any immediate effects, but she felt nothing. If the effects were to have been negative there was no going back, but at least it gave her peace of mind as she went on to drink the darker liquid.

She drank the entire bottle, and it wasn't until she set the empty container down on her bed that she felt her lungs begin to close up. She tried to make sound to wake her parents who were in the next room over, and only through very thin walls. The state of her lungs didn't allow her to make much noise though. It was not long before her vision became to blacken.

Davina had never experienced anything quite like it, but it felt like she was dying. Unfortunately for her, her instincts were right.

She lay dead with no one aware of what had happened. Her parents were asleep only feet away, and they had no idea that their daughter had been poisoned.

Davina's heart had stopped completely. She was as dead as anyone could be.

Until she wasn't.

The following morning she woke with a startle. All she could hear was screams from the village, but even that was dulled by a greater sensation. All she could focus on was the strong hunger she felt.


End file.
